Have you heard about the crazy Tennessee law (in the process of passing) which will prohibit teachers in that state's elementary and middle schools from discussing or even acknowledging the existence of LGBTQ people? All school instructions and materials must be "limited exclusively to age-appropriate natural human reproduction science." And you know who that word "natural" excludes, don't you?
Known as the "Don't Say Gay Law," it is being fought tooth and nail with the greatest of Our People's weapons -- humour, satire and ridicule. George Takei of Star Trek fame has given Tennessee teachers and students permission to use his surname instead of the word "gay" in order to get around the law. So every time some one wants or needs to say the word "gay," they can just say "Takei" instead!
39 comments:
I wonder what did Sulu change into :)
And there's something really rotten in the state of Tennessee!
i guess they figure if you don't say it , it doesn't exist.
I'll leave it to the Gay and Lesbian community to fight it with humour. Personally, I am angry beyond words.
I've been reading about it, and it made me heartsick. Just when you think that awareness and acceptance are moving forward, some primordial slime (an insult to decent primordial slimes everywhere .I'm sorry) rises up to try and stuff everyone back into the closet, where, as every child knows, the Night Monsters hide, waiting to grab them in their sleep!
Are teachers going to make their little students, who have two Mommies, or two Daddys, feel like the old circus "odditites"? I truly like to think that not all Tennesseans have been breathing too much swamp gas. .I'm sure that not everyone fits the stereotypical mold that comes to mind when one thinks of Tennessee. . .
On second thought though, I'd love to adopt their attitude. If I eliminate the words "Cancer" and "Dementia" from my vocabulary, then they don't exist, and my darling Hubs is well!! Consider it done!
I like this! What else do we want to rid the world of? Bigotry? Homophobia? Poverty? Abuse? Tyranny? This is SO easy! Why didn't anyone think of this before?
I love George's video! So clever, and funny! And how generous of him to lend his name as a solution!
another case of head in the sand,
Just goes to show you. Society will always find a scapegoat.
Mary
Ya know..having lived in the south for a bit..and knowing the issues there..even this surprises me..seriously..how stupid is that! REALLY!!!?? Don't say the words? Like in this day and age the kids are not all over their phones and internet and don't know anything about folks being gay...really?? Ignorant adults it seems..they neee an Iphone already..geesh!
HUGE WHOOT for George..way to defuse stupid with wonderful!!
Wonderful post hon!
Hugs, Sarah
Great post!!! Humor has a way of helping people get over their silly prejudices
Creative thinking. LOL.
~♥~
I am totally ASHAMED to say my people are originally from the state of Tennessee. This is without a doubt the MOST ASININE and HATE MONGERING of laws (and I use the term *law* loosely, because I always thought of law as just and proper...).
I never thought I would live to see the day when Americans became, or reverted to, such petty, fearful, ignorant individuals BY CHOICE.
And no, it isn't going to make anything disappear~~there is still the internet, TV, music.....unless, of course, Tennessee plans to ban all that too.
And it wouldn't surprise me....
XXOO~~
Anne
P.S. ♥LUV♥ George Takei!!!
Oh, how I love that man! I'm ordering my t-shirt.
Fantastic! Takei, I mean. Not that stupid law. Having taught sex ed to 6th graders, I can promise you, not being allowed to talk about it will just make them want to learn about it more. Way to shoot your homophobic self in the foot, Tennessee!
i love george. i listen to him on howard stern all the time!
tennessee, being in the 'bible belt', who's surprised? GRRRRRRRR
Every time I start to think that the U.S. is kinda like Canada something like this comes to my attention and I just am boggled. So Freaking Boggled. And heartsick.
That is just nuts!
And scary too. Yikes..
I love George,so so much:)
That man is a class act.
And if you don't mention the name is like they don't exist? what a shame, kids need information about things (people in this case) they will face while growing up. If they are not told about LGBTQ people then they are gonna freak out when they discover that they exist and then they could make them feel like weird people.
what planet do these people live on??? (pardon the star trek pun) But seriously????? If we stop saying "right wing nut job" maybe they will beam up to their alternate universe and it will officially be "takei to simply be humans loving humans living peaceful as our lives unfold with kindness, compassion, sanity and righteous humor! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
::Mental note:: So in Tennessee I'm now Takei? Got it!
I love George T. soooo much. He's brilliant.
And I wish I could say I was shocked, but I spent part of my life tracking bashing statistics in a conservative state. So I'm not shocked.
Someday (hopefully really soon) people will realize how absurd, ignorant and dangerous it is to not acknowledge the LGBTQ community and the laws surrounding them the same way "most" of us shake our heads that slavery happened...In the meantime, I'm so glad that humour is being used as a rallying cry for all...Always loved "Takei" :)
Once again, more ignorance....!
This is ridiculous...who are these idiots making these laws...let's heckle 'em. American government gets dumber by the day.
I can't imagine these discriminatory laws passing constitutional scrutiny but crazier things have happened of late. My son seriously would like to move to Canada or somewhere not so anti-gay.
OTOH, Takei rocks!!
Way to go George Takei! I am still shocked, which I shouldn't be, by the political responses and laws to LGBT families. How is a child os same-sex parents or with same-sex family supposed to talk about his/her family, openly, with the teacher if the teacher isn't even allowed to mention "your moms" or "your dads". What a horrible thing for these children.
Thank you for shining some light on this very scary law.
Is there nothing that Star Trek humor can't help? While stupid can't be cured at least it can be mocked, and mocked well. I really hope that saner people prevail and that law does not go into effect.
I love George so hard.
Takei is awesome. And only today did I learn that I've been saying his name wrong (long i at the end). I'll never get it wrong again.
As for those in the south...there's actually too much to even say....
I love that guy!!!
totally off subject... but we call them Beanies.. that hat on my head in my photo :)
I heart taki.
Way to go, Sulu!
When I saw that video I fell in love with that man all over again. I think he is one of the coolest people on the planet!!
Cheers!
I'm loving the Star Trek humor! That really cracked me up!
For inquisitive youth, this ridiculous enforced censorship will hopefully end up fueling their curiousity even more and make them demand explanations of their teachers, thereby doing the exact opposite of what the &*%#@ lawmakers want.
Fear breeds stupidity. Idiots.
You might want to google a story this week about St Joseph's Catholic School in Ontario banning "Rainbows" - whatever next?!
I adore Takei! And I am blessed to actually know the artist who DESIGNED the flippin' logo for "Its OK to be Takei!" Really, not kidding! However, they requested that a)their name not be given publicly, and b)that they receive no payment for the logo, everything to go to activism. (and no...its NOT me.) That, folks, it how ya do it! Thanks for spreading the word on She Who Seeks! Let us be activists, and let us make a difference, each of us, one at a time! 3 cheers for Takei!
Is that really a serious law? OMG it's worse than Victorian England.
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